Quaker Oats gives Mascot a Makeover

The iconic blue suited, white-haired man smiling up at you from your oatmeal box has had some work done.

Quaker Oatmeal’s mascot has gotten a haircut, lost some weight, and dropped about five years in age. Insiders know him as “Larry”, the venerable Quaker man that has helped Quaker Oats establish their brand for over 134 years. He’s being revamped as part of a wide stretched effort by PepsiCo Inc. to reinvigorate the brand globally. The company hopes to keep the ancient brand both “fresh and innovative,” according to Justin Lambeth, Quaker’s chief marketing officer.

The goal of Larry’s new look is to combine the associations of their brand- heritage, trust, and quality, with what people associate oatmeal with in today’s world- energy and healthy choices. To amplify these qualities in its logo without losing its sense of history, Hornall Anderson, Quaker’s brand-design firm, made small adjustments.

Larry isn’t afraid to bust a little muscle now, showing his shoulders in the new logo. This was aimed to make him look stronger and more vibrant. The haircut makes him look lighter, and his neck longer- it makes him look thinner. Hornall Anderson also removed his double chin and smoothed the roles and plumpness in his face.

The color red is prominent in the logo, replacing the golden oval that used to surround the Quaker man’s face. The new logo features two blocks in slightly different tones, meeting a golden trim near the bottom.

While the logo has definitely changed, PepsiCo would rather that no one notices, in fact they’re counting on it. Subtlety was the aim for the new design; the goal is so that no one will notice that he is different.

It’s this same logo that Quaker’s Oats will need to emphasize when sending direct mail. MarketMAPS provides companies like PepsiCo with an expert design team that can change layouts to meet their needs. Utilizing custom logos, icons, labels, color shading and more, we provide your geographic displays with the professional touch that they need, in order to best represent your company.